Stars and Handerkerchiefs
by lilangellinh
Summary: Kagome, an orphan, has to steal in order to survive. Unfortunately, one day the lord of the manor catches her before she could get away. Fate must have intervened as she now races to discover her true identity before all hell breaks loose. ON HOLD indefin
1. Introductions

**Hi. I'm really bored so I decided to post this. I don't know if it's gonna go anywhere, but I'll appreciate it if you read it **

**and before I begin: I wish I own Inuyasha, but unfortunately I don't. Oh well.**

Chapter 1

-Introductions-

_Swirling in dreamy masses, stars twinkled with a gentle light. A young girl danced amid them, beckoning for them to join her in the silent and graceful movements. A whisper of approval floated among the stars. She was the one._

Lady Higurashi snapped awake from her troubling dream to find her bed of old blankets completely soaked and whimpered in agony. Unconsciously rubbing her enlarged stomach, she realized she needed help. With a small moan, she attempted to reach the door of her cell, only to collapse from weakness and pain before ever leaving the bundle of rags. In desperation, she reached around her to find her candlestick and threw it with the last of her strength. It hit the metal door with a satisfyingly loud thud. Lady Higurashi fought to stay conscious as she heard footsteps running towards her cell. As the door opened and a guard entered, she spoke her last, "Please…name her Kagome."

-16 years later-

Silently cursing the gods for their cruel joke at her expense, Kagome rushed to hide. She dove under a dusty, but expensive looking sofa.

'I've never been detected before, never!'

She added her parents to her curses. All she knew about her mother was that she died in a prison cell after requesting her daughter be named Kagome. Her mother had also died before giving birth to her, which meant she was literally ripped from her dead mother's body. As for her father, she assumed he was one of those rich married lords who cheated on their wives with girls from the brothels. Her parents disgusted her and she had no desire to know anymore about them.

'Excellent time to start daydreaming Kagome. Now use your brain to get out of here!'

Suddenly, Kagome heard a loud crash. One of the guards had broken through the barricade she had set up previously. Glass covered the floor and dust fluttered lazily throughout the air. Kagome retreated further under the sofa she used as protection and listened for sounds.

"Wretch, I can smell you in here. Now, come out before you anger me more!"

Kagome started indignantly. 'I don't smell that bad do I?' Her face housed a small pout.

"I'll give you to the count of five. I wasted too much effort getting through this door. I don't plan on wasting anymore on a lowly piece of rubbish. Five … four … three … two …one… You leave me no choice you insolent brat."

She screamed as the sofa covering her flew threw the air. A rough hand grabbed the girl by her hair, dragging her up. She averted her eyes to avoid looking at her captor. Her small fists beat at the male's body.

Slowly, Kagome felt her hair being twisted and pulled. Tears of anguish streamed down her face, but she had decided never let some fat lord's guard see her in any kind of pain. So she spat on his shoes.

"Let me go, you, you, overbearing, lazy, spoiled, uncouth, sad excuse for a human! You should be a dog!" That earned her a slap, hard across the cheek.

"You will watch your mouth, little girl. Do not try my temper. It is bad enough I went through all that trouble for a riff-raff like you, but for a bitch? Shut up before you regret it"

He twisted her so that she was facing him.A little river leaked from her eyes even though theywere screwed shut to avoid looking at him. Out of nowhere, she felt hands touching her sides. So she screamed again.

"What the hell are you doing? I'm being molested!Pervert! Someone help!" In return, she heard laughter.

"I hope you realize I can do whatever I want to you. And no, I would never willingly touch trash such as you. Spare myself the trouble and hand over the item you stole."

Kagome was not a particularly vain person, but this guard pissed her off. Just because a lord employed him, he thought he was so much better than her. Kagome prepared herself to yell the guy senseless. Opening her eyes to stare him down, her mouth never got any words out.

His clothing was simple, immaculate but was clearly one only a lord would wear. Long silky silver hair reached his butt. His mouth was quirked into a snarl. But it was his eyes that captured Kagome's attention. They were liquid amber, showing none of the hardness his face emanated. As she stared into his eyes, she felt lost, lonely and indescribably sad. Slowly, Kagome brought her hands up to touch his face, but caught herself.

'What am I going to do? Hell, hell, double hell. He's a lord! I thought he was just a guard! You have to try and get out of this! Actually, now would be a really good time to start crying. Well, maybe not.'

Shaking her head, Kagome gathered herself. "What do you mean? I've never stolen anything in my life! Why are you coming after me? Let me go! Let me go! I'm just an er, maid. Yeah, a maid!"

She knew he wouldn't believe her, but it was worth a try. Kagome needed the handkerchief she had stolen; it would be enough for her to live off of for a year once she sold it.

'Oh, that was stupid. A maid? I'm not even dressed as one. Doomed, doomed, doomed. Hmm, what an interesting song that would make. Doomed. Wow, I guess what they say about running away from problems is true.'

Harsh laughter interrupted her meandering thoughts. "It is no use bluffing. I know very well your dirty little hands touched my handkerchief. Now hand it over before you meet with a permanent end!"

His words startled Kagome. She had chosen to steal a handkerchief because it was something easily replaced and to her knowledge, never used.

'What is wrong with him? I thought I was being considerate! It's just a handkerchief. I bet he has loads more in his room. Why can't he just let me have this ugly piece of cloth? I need it more than him'

Fear and her indignation at being caught jumbled together. A building painassaulted her head. She knew what was happening; it had happened before. Kagome went limp in the Lord's hands. She had fainted.

----

I stared down at the raven-haired girl that had just fainted in my arms. She was filthy and dressed in rags. A funny feeling bubbled in my stomach as I stared at her face.

Cursing, I carried her out of the living room and up the stairs to the guest room. I ordered a servant to bring a basin of cold water and a towel. Gently, I laid the girl onto the bed, careful to avoid just dropping her.

"Well, where is the water and towel I asked for?" Honestly, sometimes these servants annoyed me to no end. But they were loyal and understood me and I didn't have the heart to do anything worse but yell at them.

"Here you are Master. The water and towel you asked for." Kaede entered carrying a silver pitcher filled with water, a bowl and a white towel. "If you don't mind me asking, who is this girl?"

"I don't know Kaede. She was the one who stole my mother's handkerchief though. I intend to keep her here until she wakes up so she can return it. I can't bring myself to search her body."

"Ah, I see Master Inuyasha. You are quite the chivalrous one aren't you? I knew so all along."

"Feh! I simply do not wish to touch her more than needs be. I might catch some disease from her. She's filthy, even worse than a pig."

I would never admit to anyone that I felt sympathy towards the girl. Lying there unconscious, she looked so innocent and ethereal. As if one strong blow will knock her out forever.

"Kaede, wake her up. Make her presentable before you bring her to my office when she revives. And burn those sheets afterwards. I don't want this room stinking of sewage."

I was already heading towards my office before Kaede could answer.

**So, what do you think? I hope it didn't bore you **


	2. Preparations

**Thank you to those who read this. You made me quite happy.**

**Well, I realized I started a fic at a really bad time since finals are coming up and all. So please excuse me if I don't update after this chapter. I give you permission to yell at me if there isn't an update by January 28th. **

**This is a pretty pointless chapter. Read at your own peril.**

**Before I begin: I wish I were Rumiko Takahashi since I would own Inuyasha. But sadly I'm not.**

Chapter 2

-Preparations-

_Gentle rays glittered, filling the blackness with a soft glow. The stars circled, throwing their light around in sudden splashes of light. A girl appeared, walking sedately towards the middle. She curtsied and began dancing with a fluid grace. With her appearance, the wait was over. It was time._

The first thing I noticed when I regained consciousness was that my head hurt. It hurt a whole lot.

The second thing I noticed was that there was an old woman holding an empty silver pitcher, the content of which I correctly assumed was currently soaking me.

"Ah, good, you're awake. I'm sorry I had to resort to such drastic measures, but you didn't respond to my previous efforts.' Kaede smiled gently down at me.

Gingerly, I lifted myself up to a sitting position, wincing as I jarred my head slightly too much. It was only then that I realized I was in the most comfortable bed I ever had the fortune to be in. Heck, it was the only bed I've ever been in.

A rush of giddiness surged through me so that I had the urge to jump on the bed. That was before I suddenly remembered the old woman who had rudely woken me up.

"Um, who are you? What are you going to do with me? I'm innocent I swear! See, I just happened to um, find this handkerchief in the uh, garbage. Yeah, garbage! And uh, I thought since it was in the garbage, I could take it. Oh hell! never mind, please don't hurt me!"

I never did say I was brave. Sure, I lived on the streets, but that required more cunning than bravery. After all, in order to survive, you had to know how to run away and tell the perfect lies. Except, this time, it seemed my overly productive brain had shut down on me during my moment of utmost need.

"Worry not child. Master isn't really all that bad. In fact, he wouldn't have minded in the slightest if you had stolen any other handkerchief. You just had to choose the only one that matters."

"So, does that mean if I give back the handkerchief, I can leave?"

I prayed to the gods that the old lady would say yes. Sadly, the gods seemed to hate me.

"That depends on Master. Speaking of which, he has instructed me to clean you up. How are you feeling now? Better? Good, come along now. There is much work to be done before you will be presentable."

"Um, well, could I at least know your name first? And what exactly do you mean by making me 'presentable'?"

I didn't particularly like the gleam in the servant's eye as she prepared to answer. Her smirk did nothing to reassure me either.

"You may call me Kaede. I am Master's oldest servant. Up you get. Now the fun begins."

I groaned, willing myself to die. Why couldn't he have just killed me when he had the chance? Better yet, why did I ever come to this house, out of all the others I could've chosen from? And the question to top it all off: why was I even born in the first place?

Pushing away from the warmth over the bed, I swung my legs over the sides. Wobbling slightly, I followed after Kaede, who was disappearing from my sight.

"Oh, um, wait for me! My name's Kagome just in case you wanted to know."

Feeling myself stabilizing, I ran and caught up the old woman.

---

Sighing, I sagged lower in the comforting water. A light floral scent permeated the air. I assumed it was from the plentiful assortment of red and pink rose petals floating in the water. My thoughts drifted as the heat relaxed me.

Kaede had led me to a door where she stopped, opened it and pushed me. But not until after she wished me good luck.

I didn't understand until I saw the scary looking people holding brushes, soap, cloths and other items I couldn't even begin to name.

"So, what are you guys planning on doing to me?"

I, nervous of some bathing servants? No, never!

I flashed them my brightest smile, hoping I would survive this experience unscarred. One of them approached, soap and shampoo in hand

"Don't worry miss. You'll find out soon." She emphasized her words with a shake of the hand containing shampoo.

It was a continuation of my misfortune that they started by stripping me of my perfectly acceptable clothes. I can safely mark that as the most embarrassing moment of my life. After all, half the servants were males.

I was held in place by shock for at least a minute. Then things got loud.

"Ahhhh! Stop touching me. Go away. Please, I'm too young to be taken advantage of! You freaks, let me go. Why can't you all just crawl into a hole somewhere and die?"

In the end, they managed to throw me into the water. They weren't looking very happy about my tantrum so I guess throwing me belly first was revenge.

Now, here I was, perfectly content with just sitting and soaking. I guess that didn't satisfy the assistants.

"Lift your arms miss. We need to scrub you before you turn into a prune."

The girl glanced down at the brush she held in her hands, looked at me and stared at the brush again.

"Amaya, bring a larger brush. This one won't get rid of all the dirt."

Normally, I would've been offended, but she did have a point. You don't get that many opportunities to bathe if you were poor and homeless like me.

"Here you go Ume. It's the biggest one we have."

I gulped, seeing the brush Amaya had brought back.

"Ume right? Well, would you mind, and be gentle please? That brush is just a little too big for my liking."

"I'm sorry miss, I can't do that. Please hold still, this might hurt. We need to get all this dirt off you."

I wouldn't be surprised if someone ten miles away heard my scream of pain. Fortunately, after I was rubbed red, raw and shiny, Ume started shampooing my hair much more gently.

I relaxed as she worked to brush out all the tangles in my hair. Suddenly, I remembered the odd dream I had before Kaede dumped water on me.

It perplexed me. I often dreamed of stars. They were my favorite things. Every night as I wandered from place to place for a place to sleep, I would stare up at sky. The stars always seemed to smile at me and they became my source of comfort.

But this dream had been different. There was a tone of, seriousness and imminence my other dreams lacked. The familiar playfulness that accompanied my dreams did not exist in my last one.

"Miss, I'm done. Please get out of the water now. Follow Amaya and she will finish preparing you."

Ume handed me a towel, which I wrapped around myself. I followed Amaya obediently. She promptly lathered me with some sweet, floral concoction that left my skin smooth. Then she clad me in a simple dress.

"There you go miss. All ready to meet Master. Come, I'll take you to his office."

Dread filled me to the soul as I quickly remembered what the pampering had made me forget. The Lord. I still had to face him.

My steps dragged and I walked slowly after Amaya.

"Miss, Master doesn't like to be kept waiting and we spent enough time making you presentable already. Please hurry."

Amaya knocked on the door and tentatively opened it. She peeked inside and then her voice rang clear.

"My Lord Inuyasha is ready to meet you. Please enter now."

I was about to throw up.

**Wow, I feel like my writing style changed. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird. **


	3. I'm Not Like You

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading **

**Well, I just took one of my finals today. Which means, only 6 more to go! Isn't that lovely?**

**Anyway, sorry for the wait. But hey, I got this out before my deadline of the 28th yeah? But I feel I should warn you since I forgot to in the first chapter. I AM EXTREMELY LAZY. So if you don't like waiting obscene amounts of time, I advise you not to read this fic.**

**Now, if you're still with me, here is the next chapter.**

**Oh wait…My name is Linh, which is quite different from the owner of Inuyasha.**

**Chapter 3 **

**-I'm Not Like You-**

The wait agitated him. By now, there were tracks in the floor of his study marking the steps of his pacing. What was taking so long?

At last, he heard a knock on his door. Amaya's head popped in, with a questioning look on her face. She disappeared when she saw his nod.

Seconds later, Inuyasha could hear her voice announce, "My Lord Inuyasha is ready to meet you. Please enter now."

His heart beat with anticipation and he forced him to calm down. When she entered, he was the image of coolness, except for his eyes. They swirled with gold and amber as his many emotions ran through him.

"Sit down. You will do as you're told and you will speak only when I say you may."

The girl gave a small, frightened nod and cautiously sat down.

"Now, what is your name? In case you are too dim-witted to guess, I am Inuyasha, the lord of this manor."

"My name is Kagome Hi…Kagome."

Her answer surprised him. She seemed nervous and indeed she was. But for the slight stutter, her voice exuded confidence.

"Very well. Next question. Where is my mother's handkerchief now?"

Kagome glanced around the room, desperate to escape the hard stare concentrated on her. She gulped and then answered.

"I have it with me."

He didn't speak, but he seemed to expect something. Slowly, Kagome dug through a pocket and dragged out a length of cloth.

The handkerchief was blood red, stitched with gold thread. Delicate flowers decorated a corner and the initials TH adorned another.

Hesitantly, Kagome reached over the table and dropped the handkerchief in front of Inuyasha. Forgetting his order, Kagome opened her mouth to speak.

"It's only a handkerchief. What's the big deal? I-"

"Quiet wretch. I seem to recall telling you something about not speaking unless I give you permission."

Kagome shivered and closed her mouth after she realized it was still open, interrupted in forming a word.

He carefully picked up the material, examining it for abuse while she watched silently. Finding the handkerchief still in perfect condition, he gently set it down on the table. His gaze once again returned to assess the girl before him.

"Why did you come here?"

Considering herself a goner, Kagome's feistiness returned with a vengeance. She rolled her eyes before answering.

"Well obviously, to steal the handkerchief. Who knew you were so attached to such a useless rag."

An angry gleam flashed from his eyes and all of Kagome's fear came rushing back. She shrank in her chair.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY MOTHER'S HANDKERCHIEF! THIS "RAG" IS WORTH TEN TIMES MORE THAN A PIECE OF RUBBISH LIKE YOU!"

Inuyasha's careful attempt at staying calm lost to his temper. Inuyasha was not a saint, but he believed deeply in piety towards his parents. Especially his mother. Any who dared insult his mother soon painfully learned not to.

Kagome covered her ears, fearing for her hearing. Around the office, vases shook dangerously close to the edges of the shelves. He continued to yell at her until she finally burst out yelling herself.

"SHUT UP! I AM NOT WORTHLESS. I'M NOT, I'M NOT! I DON'T CARE IF THE RAG WAS YOUR MOTHER'S OR NOT. IF YOU HATE ME SO MUCH, WHY DON'T YOU JUST LET ME GO? OR BETTER YET, KILL ME AND PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY!"

Abruptly, Kagome shut up and collapsed in her chair, her breath coming in short gasps. Inuyasha stood, glaring at her, shocked that she had the nerve to yell back at him. He was even more surprised when he saw she was shaking with silent tears.

Then she spoke again, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I don't want to steal. It's either that or working the streets. I chose the handkerchief because it has no value! It's easily replaced. No one cares if a scrap of material is lost. They don't even remember ever owning it in the first place. I chose the item that matters least. I'm a good girl, I am."

She hiccupped before continuing. Her soft voice entranced him and he let her continue.

"I steal to survive. Not everyone is as lucky as you, born into a noble family with all your needs taken care of. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just kill myself and end all my suffering. What is the point of living if the only way I can live is by either stealing or selling myself? I'm not a whore, I promised myself I would never turn down that road.

"Please, either let me go or kill me. Just please, don't keep me here, uncertain about my future."

A few moments of silence followed her impromptu speech. Finally, Inuyasha spoke.

"I do not care about your personal life. Now that the handkerchief is returned, you may do as you please. You no longer concern me."

Kagome slowly nodded and stood up. Her head was bowed in shame. She didn't know why she lost control like that. She had always kept her pain to herself, having no one to confide in. Lethargically, she made her way to the door.

He watched her progress, his heart uneasy. There was something about her that captured him. He felt a strange desire to protect her, as if that was his only purpose in life.

The feeling disturbed him. After all, why should he bother with a weak, insignificant street urchin? It just didn't make sense.

"Wait."

The girl stopped in her tracks, her body stiffening in fear.

"You said you had only two options. One, to steal and two, to become a whore. Why did you not seek a position as a maid?"

Without turning around, she answered him.

"Because I am nobody. Why should they hire a girl with no family, with nothing to offer when there are plenty of other girls more qualified than me? I don't know how to sweep, scrub floors, wash dishes since I have never had a home to teach me. I can't sew, and I nothing about babes. So, why would they hire a girl like me?"

"Very well. You may go."

Inuyasha lowered his head, a headache building from his confusion. Looking up, he saw she had reached the door.

"You may remain here as a maid if you wish. You will not have to steal or sell yourself."

He wasn't quite sure what possessed him to offer her a position as a maid. He knew she wasn't needed, but that damned protective feeling had gotten the better of him. He now regretted offering and hoped she would decline.

"Are you serious? Or do you just enjoy tricking people?"

Her back was still towards him.

"I am serious."

She turned around, her face clearly marked with confusion, disgust and oddly, hope.

Inuyasha's hear pounded as he saw her mouth open, forming her answer.

**Well then. Lame way to end, as I'm sure most of you know what she's going to say. And I don't know what possessed me to write Inuyasha and Kagome acting like this.**


	4. A New Start

**Well, looks like I'm back. From a really really really long break. I had some computer trouble, so sorry guys!**

**And if you're still reading this, you are the best **

**Obviously don't own Inuyasha**

**Chapter 4**

**-A New Start-**

"I don't believe it. I knew you Lords were snobby and cruel, but you go beyond that! Why do you insist on insulting me? Haven't you humiliated me enough? And now, you're pretending to offer me a job. Right. As if anyone in their right mind would give me a job."

And quite suddenly, Kagome broke into sobs. Inuyasha had no idea what was going on or what to do. Kagome slowly sunk to the floor as her sobs continued to shake her body.

"If you don't believe fine. You can go back to your life of stealing and whatnot. And you're right. I'm not in my right mind. I have no idea what compelled me to offer you a position in my manor. You may leave now."

Tears still streaming down her face, Kagome looked up and then turned her face away from Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry. It's just that…I've been offered a position as a maid before when I was younger. I accepted because the Lord seemed kind. I felt I had found someone that could be my father. But he…he…did things to me."

Kagome pulled further into herself, as if she could protect herself from her memories by squeezing into as small a ball as possible.

"I don't know if I can trust you. But for some reason I feel like I can. So, if your offer still stands, may I accept it?"

Inuyasha sat there contemplating her words for a minute.

"You really are a wretch. But whatever. Go find Kaede and tell her you're a new maid. She'll tell you what to do. Now I'm sick of you. Get out of my sight."

As the door slowly closed, Inuyasha closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He wondered why he had given her a job. He certainly didn't need any more servants. And she would probably cause only more trouble than she was worth.

'You know why idiot. It's because you want to protect her. But why do I want to protect her? She's only a street urchin.'

---

I wandered along the corridor aimlessly. I had no idea where to go and my eyes were blurry and still hurt from crying. As I was looking down at my feet, I didn't realize there was something in my way.

CRASH

I stared horrified at the broken statue. The head was now cracked and 5 feet away from the body.

Shock kept me rooted to the spot while fear allowed me only ears for my cussing. I wasn't aware there was anyone beside me until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Ahhhhhh!"

I must've jumped up at least a foot and out far enough to land on the shards of the statue. I yelled again, but this time from pain rather than fright.

"You clumsy girl. Why did you block your hearing like that? Come come, we'll get you all bandaged up. Amaya, please clean up this mess. Oh, don't cry now girl. It was an ugly statue no one liked anyways."

Kaede's words calmed me and I meekly followed her, wincing with pain every time my feet touched the ground. Poor Amaya. She would have to clean up after me even though I was nothing more than an incompetent maid. Still, I couldn't help but think that it was a good thing I broke the statue; I would still be wandering lost if Kaede hadn't come.

"So girl, what are you still doing here? Didn't Inuyasha kick you out?"

"Well, no. He um, offered me a position as a um, maid here. And he told me to find you and tell you that. Except, I didn't know where to go. And I was crying before so my eyes were still blurry. And I kinda wasn't looking except at my feet, so I didn't see the statue. And I'm really really sorry. I'll go help Amaya clean up as soon as my feet get bandaged. Oh, I feel bad. Amaya shouldn't have to clean up when it was my mistake. I real-"

"Hush girl. This is not the time for hysterics."

"Sorry…It's not hysterics, honest. I just tend to ramble."

"That doesn't matter. Now listen carefully. We don't really need another maid, but if Master accepted you, I suppose we could take you in. I know Amaya hates sweeping and mopping the floors. You can take over that responsibility. And Ume abhors washing the dishes. There, I think that should be enough work to keep you occupied."

As Kaede was explaining, she turned into a room and I followed. It was a small room that smelt of herbs and medicine.

"Now sit here. Good, let me see you feet. Luckily, these are only slight cuts, no shards embedded."

With deft hands, Kaede cleaned and wrapped up my wounds. Thanking her, I tentatively got to my feet. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all.

"Wow, thank you Kaede! It feels like normal again."

"Well child, that is good to hear. Still, I advise you to stay off your feet as much as possible today lest the wounds open again."

"But um, what about my duties? Shouldn't I go help Amaya?"

"Oh don't worry about that. Amaya will quickly forget about doing extra work when she learns she no longer needs to sweep and mop the floor. Now, I will take to your room. You need your rest."

As Kaede was leading me my quarters, I reminisced about today. I was amazed that earlier, I was just an orphan relying on theft to survive. Now I was a maid, working for one of the type of people I swore I hated. Shrugging, I accepted that life was unpredictable. Anyway, being a maid with a salary, a roof over my head and safety was much more desirable than being a homeless, poor street urchin.

"You will sleep in here. Blankets and sleeping mat are all set up and ready. You will have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. I'll come and wake you up to change your bandages then I'll give you a tour of the manor. Be ready to work afterwards."

Kaede turned around to leave. Before exiting though, she spoke.

"Don't worry too much child. You'll like it here. Master isn't unreasonable so don't let him scare you. You'll do fine here. Sleep well."

With a last, friendly smile, Kaede left, closing the door behind her.

Kaede's words comforted me and I unconsciously smiled. I spotted the mat and blankets and slowly sank down, snuggling beneath the warmth. As I drifted off to the most peaceful sleep of my life, my last though before loosing consciousness was 'I could get used to this.'

**Well then…I promise the plot will pick up and get more interesting very soon.**


End file.
